Blood Work (Felix Pollak Prize in Poetry)

Matthew Siegel’s disquieting first book of poems, Blood Work, explores the inner workings of a life lived in vulnerability. The narrative voice here is vulnerable to his sickness—Crohn’s disease—as well as the “sickness” of loving. These poems are raw, exposed, and deeply authentic attempts to reconcile all that is difficult to look at in one life. They capture a constant striving for more: more understanding, more unfolding, more opening, in spite of a difficult and complex world; yet there are moments of quiet humor and lightness, reminding us not to take life too seriously. Though there is plenty of darkness in Blood Work, it is ultimately a hopeful statement. The relief comes in the form of small moments of pleasure and letting go, where we’re brought to see the simple things: dewed grass beneath a streetlight, flowers tossed under the house and recovered, or sour strawberries at the farmers’ market.